The over-the-counter painkiller ibuprofen could help us hold off the ageing process, US scientists say. Tests on flies found that the drug extended lifespan by the equivalent of 12 years for a human being.
Giving the drug to yeasts, flies and worms not only extended the length of their lives but helped them maintain fitness and health as they aged, The Independent reports.
Lead researcher Prof Michael Polymenis, of Texas A&M University, said: "We are not sure why this works but it is worth exploring further. This study was a proof of principle, to show that common, relatively safe drugs in humans can extend the lifespan of very diverse organisms.
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"Therefore, it should be possible to find others like ibuprofen with even better ability to extend lifespan, with the aim of adding healthy years of life in people."
Ibuprofen was developed in the 1960s and became available over the counter in the 1980s. It can be used to reduce inflammation, control temperature and relieve pain.
While it is not known why the drug extended lifespan in the organisms it was tested on, there was one clue. The drug was found to interfere with the ability of yeast cells to pick up the essential nutrient tryptophan, obtained in the diet from protein.
Co-author of the research, Dr Chong He of the Buck Institute for Age Research in California, said: "We have some preliminary data ... that showed that this drug also extended the health span in worms. It made them live not just longer but also [made them] more healthy.
"You can measure the thrashing of the worms. If they're healthy, they do have a tendency to thrash a lot, and also we can measure the pumping as they swallow, because if they're healthy, the pumping is faster."
